A GASP LEFT MY mouth as Kye rushed me forward and closed the door behind him. 

He smirked.  “Miss me?”

It only took a moment for my shock to thaw and hot anger to flood my veins.  How could he stand there smiling at me as if he didn’t just try to kill Rex only a few days ago?

I moved fast, shoving him hard.  He was caught off guard and stumbled sideways, barely missing the wall.

“What the hell?”  He straightened back up, smoothing his shirt.  “What kind of hello is that?”

“You want a proper hello?”  I whipped a long iron blade from my boot.  “Say hello to the pointy end of my knife.”

Kye tsked.  “We both know you’re not going to use that?”  His gaze scrutinized my face, his lips pursing.  “Have you been crying?”

I lunged forward, attempting to knock him off his feet.  It didn’t work, but as he recovered, his face was left open.  My fist snapped out, slamming into his jaw.  Pain exploded through my knuckles.  It was like hitting pure steel.

He cursed and ducked another hit.  “What was that for?”

“As if you didn’t know,” I hissed as we circled each other.  “First you took Brett to get to me.  As if that wasn’t bad enough.  Then you…”  My voice faltered as images of Rex lying in bed with that sigil carved into his chest flashed through my mind.  Agony twisted my insides, and I wanted to scream.

“What are you—”

I rushed Kye, tackling him to my bed.  I quickly took the top position and slammed the knife toward his chest.

His hand wrapped around mine, catching the hilt before the blade could penetrate his skin.  The tip was digging a hole into his shirt.  “You were really going to kill me.”  His eyes were wide, shock melting the usual ice.

“Of course I was,” I spat.  “After what you did.”  I struggled to bring the knife further down, but his hold was too strong.

“I already told you I didn’t take Brett.  What is it you think I did now, Koralein?”  Without warning, Kye moved and I was on my back, staring into his sharp face.  He shoved the knife away, forcing me to drop it to the ground with a loud clatter. 

I scoffed.  “Don’t play stupid.  You took Brett and then you…”  God, I couldn’t even say the words.  They were painful just to speak.

He rested his weight on me, pinning me down.  “Like I already told you in that dream, I don’t have a clue about any of this.”  His gaze drifted to my lips, longingly tracing them.

I used his distraction in my favor and slammed my elbow into his ribs.  He grunted, and I managed to slip out from under him.  My fingers just brushed the hilt of my knife when Kye yanked me back on to the bed.

Damn it.

“Seriously.  I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“So that was just some other blue-eyed demon Brett saw?”  I whirled around, pinning him with my best glare.  “And that was some other blue-eyed demon who carved a crux into Rex’s chest.”

His arms fell from me.  “What?”

I smashed the heel of my palm into his mouth.  “Don’t pretend like you didn’t try to kill Rex.”  I rolled off the bed, grabbing the knife.  I was fast, but Kye was faster.

His fingers curled around my wrist, keeping my weapon away from his heart as we struggled on the floor.  “I didn’t try to kill Rex.  I swear.”

My kick barely registered with him.  “Lying bastard!”

His lips thinned, and eyes began to swirl with demon darkness.  “Stop struggling and be still.”

Kye’s compulsion hit me—and then dissolved right over my skin like crackles of electricity.

A rough, almost manic laugh slipped out.  “I don’t think your compulsion works on me anymore, demon.”  Maybe it was another side effect from my close encounter with the dark side. 

“I guess I’ll have to do things the hard way.”  A growl slithered between his teeth, and he yanked the knife from me, tossing it into a wall.  And then the room was a blur.

I was once again pinned down by Kye on my bed.  I forgot he could move much faster than he let on.

“I would never try to kill Rex now that I know he’s your caetera—even as much as it irritates me.”

“Why?  You’ve killed plenty of caeteras in your past,” I hissed.

“They weren’t yours.”  His jaw clenched as if the next words pained him.  “You’d hate me forever if I did.”

Doubt began to seep through my anger, weakening it.  That was what I’d thought, but Rex identified his attacker as Kye.  He wouldn’t lie to me.  “Rex said it was you.”

He shook his head.  “I don’t know who put the crux sigil on him, but it wasn’t me.”  The edges of his lips twitched.  “I’m guessing you saved his sorry ass by pulling him from the nightmare.”

“Yeah, because my parents got him back to Amarose quickly,” I spat. 

There was no surprise in his expression.  “I was wondering when they’d finally show themselves to you.”

“So you admit it.  You turned them?”

He nodded.  “I admit to the things I’ve done.”

I squirmed beneath him and choked back the tears burning in my eyes.  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

A line creased his brow.  “Because I knew they’d face you when you were ready.”

I shook my head.  This was un-effing-believable.  Did I really believe him?  Did I really believe Kye had nothing to do with Brett or Rex?  He admitted to turning my parents.  Why would he lie about the other stuff?

I tried to shove him off without success.  “Why should I believe you didn’t try to kill Rex?”

“I haven’t even been in town for the past two and a half weeks,” he said.

“Where have you been?”

His eyes traveled over my features.  “Do you believe me?”

I swallowed hard, unsure of anything at this point.  “I don’t know.”

He sighed.  “Promise to stop trying to kill me tonight, and I’ll let you up.”

“Fine.  I promise.”  He didn’t specify any time length.  I could kill him tomorrow.

Kye dropped a kiss on my cheek and yanked me up.  When I reared back for a punch, he held his finger up.  “You promised.”

“I promised not to kill you.  You didn’t say anything about punching.”  I dropped my fist though.  I was more interested in what he had to say.  “If you weren’t here hurting the people I care about, where were you?”  My gut began to knot thinking he’d been stealing more pureblooded ferrums. 

“I’ve been trying to find out what else my brother needs besides you to restore his ferrum life.” 

My heart skipped a beat.  “And?”

He licked his lips.  “I found out one of the other things he needs, the life of lastborn.”

“Lastborn?”

Kye nodded.  “He needs the last born ferrum directly descended from the last child Aurora bore.”

I chewed on my bottom lip.  “Who is it?”

“No idea.”  He sighed.  “It’d be easy to trace the lines if I had the Liber de Sanguine.”

I swallowed hard and tried to keep the emotion off my face.  I couldn’t let Kye know I had it.  He might kill this person just to stop his brother.  “The what?”

He waved a dismissive hand in the air.  “It doesn’t matter.  It’s been missing for years.”

“What about the third thing?” I asked, trying to divert the conversation off the book.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s another person with a blood connection to him or the goddess.” 

My gaze lingered over Kye as he stared into space.  I wasn’t sure what to believe.  Why would he go through all of this trouble of finding out how to stop Lorne if he just wanted to turn me?  Why would he hurt Rex when he seemed to care about my feelings?

Something was going on here.  As usual, I was lacking vital information, a piece of the puzzle that would explain this screwed up situation. 

Where did Kye fit into this?  Was someone else behind hurting Rex and Brett or had Kye set some underhanded plan into motion that would lead to me going dark?

 

∞∞∞

 

I stared through the skylight as the sun began to dip lower, streaking yellows, purples, and pinks across the heavens.  Golden light danced over the marble and rich wood in the altar room, warming the small space.  The stain glass windows projected colors along the pew I was stretched out on, my head resting on my arm. 

The room was made for Aurora, goddess of dawn.  She created us.  And when her first son betrayed her, she left us to deal with the mess.

“You obviously exist in some form,” I said, speaking to the darkening sky.  “Otherwise ferrums wouldn’t exist.  Neither would demons.  Why don’t you get your divine ass down here and help us stop your son?  I don’t want to have my soul destroyed, and I especially don’t want anyone getting hurt trying to save me.”

Several minutes stretched, and no answer came.  Of course not.  I wasn’t like some of the devoted ferrums here.  I didn’t pray to her, and I didn’t believe in her great, divine plan.  If the shitty things in my life were a part of her great plan, she was even crazier than Kye.

I hadn’t told anyone he came to me or that he denied what we all thought he did.  Kye seemed so shocked when I accused him of trying to kill Rex.  Why would he lie?  He was never one to deny what he’d done. 

“What the hell am I supposed to believe?” I ground out.

The door creaked open, and I bolted up.  The groundskeeper shuffled in, carrying a basket.  The scent of fresh bread lit the air.

He nodded in my direction as he deposited the basket on a bench.  “Hello, Cordelia.”

I rolled my eyes.  “I’m Kory.”

Mr. Karr paused, blinking in my direction as if clearing his vision.  “Oh.  My mistake.  You look so much like her.”  He came to replace the items on Aurora’s altar.

“So I’ve heard,” I mumbled.  “Why do you waste all that food on someone who will never eat it?” I asked, swinging my legs toward the ground.

“What makes you think she never eats it?” he asked, his voice dry and raspy with age.

My brow arched.  “Don’t you poison it?”

He glanced over his shoulder.  “What makes you think the goddess can be affected by my brew?”

He had a point. 

“The leftover food and wine goes to compost.  It will replenish the gardens.”  He picked up a gold platter and dumped its contents into a large black garbage bag. 

I stood and strolled toward him, staring at one of the murals of Aurora.  “Why do you waste so much time on her?  It’s not like she says thank you or even appreciates your effort.”

Mr. Karr’s head swiveled around.  “She does appreciate what I do.”  He turned back, wiping the tray with a towel.  “She told me so herself.”

According to him, Aurora had given him that book.  Maybe she did visit him.  Or maybe he was going senile.

“I know you don’t believe me.  No one does.”  He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes looking a little more clear and wise than usual.  “I was right about Lucius going after your mother, wasn’t I?”

When I confronted him about my mother, he warned me Lucius had been watching her. “I guess,” I admitted.  I grabbed a tray of wilted fruit, dumping it in the bag.

He brushed a few crumbs from the table with the flat edge of a ruler.  “Aurora visits me.  She tells me things.  She’s told me things about you.”

That had me perking up.  “Like what?”  I took another rag and began wiping the plate so it shined like the others. 

The groundskeeper hesitated.  “Things about you and Cassius.”

My chest tightened.  “What about us?”

“She said she fixed her mistake.”  He shook his head.  “She held you back as long as she could until she found the right one again.”

Cold trepidation sank through my veins, and my arms fell to my sides.  “What are you talking about?”

His watery brown eyes lifted to mine.  “Like many of the original ferrums, Cassius’s soul should have been recycled several more lifetimes, keeping their race alive not only through her blood but his divine essence.”  He took out a piece of bread, placing it gently on a platter.  “His caetera was supposed to be born shortly after the start of his fourth life.”

“But Cassius turned into a demon.  He’s immortal.”

He slowly nodded.  “Aurora knew his caetera would only go down the same path of darkness as he did.  So she severed their bond to save the girl and gave her a new caetera.”

“She changed soulmates?” 

“Yes.”

The back of my neck prickled.  “What does this have to do with me?”  My voice was so quiet I was afraid Mr. Karr hadn’t heard me. 

He took away the used wine glass and brought another out of the basket.  “Problem is, connections like that aren’t always forgotten.”

I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly drier than the Sahara.  I didn’t like where this was going.  Not one effing bit.  “Spit it out.”

“Cassius was your original caetera.”

The plate fell from my fingertips, clattering on the floor.  The sound was muted as if I was underwater.  No.  I wasn’t underwater.  I was being swept away by a giant tidal wave, and I might never find my way back to the surface.

I backed up until the edge of the first pew hit my legs, and I dropped into the seat.  My head fell to my knees as the room spun.  This couldn’t be possible.  Kye couldn’t be my soulmate.  Rex was my soulmate.  I loved Rex.  I didn’t love Kye.  I could never love him after everything he’d done.

A presence joined me on the bench, a soft hand on my back.  It wasn’t Mr. Karr.  A familiar scent from my childhood mixed with demon swirled over me.

I peeked up and saw my mother between strands of dark hair covering my face.  She shouldn’t be here.  If anyone found her… “Did you know about this?”

“No,” she whispered, her expression pained.  “Are you sure this is true?”  Her eyes were on the groundskeeper.  He didn’t seem surprised she was alive and here.  She must have seen him already.

“Yes.”

She shook her head.  “Kory can’t have two caeteras.”

“She doesn’t,” he said.  “Her soul and Cassius’s aren’t bound anymore. Not like hers and Rex’s.  But a connection still lingers.”

My head shot up, the room spinning.  “So Rex is my only soulmate?”

He nodded.

That was a relief.

“But you and Cassius are connected.”  He poured wine into the new glass, his hand trembling from old age.  “It’s why he’s so infatuated with you.  What little soul he has sensed you once belonged to him.”  Mr. Karr turned.  “And it’s only grown deeper.  He’s changed since meeting you, hasn’t he?  He’s less cruel?  He’s more concerned for your safety?”

“Yes.”

“It’s because the lingering connection began to strengthen the more time he was around you,” he said.  “It seems to be pulling his soul out of the depths of darkness.  It’s why you are less afraid of him.  And maybe even trust him.”

“Don’t trust him, Kory,” my mother snapped.  “He’s still a demon.”

“Says the demon,” I pointed out.

She ignored me.  “But they’ll never be caeteras, right?  Only her and Rex.”

He nodded as he pulled a small bottle from his pocket, his special brew.

I rubbed my face, the weight of this revelation heavy on my shoulders.  Rex wasn’t going to like it one bit, but it did answer a lot of questions. 

I slumped against the bench.  A strange sense of relief stirred in my chest at the same time.  Kye hadn’t been the one to take Brett, and he hadn’t been the one who put the crux sigil on Rex. 

Unfortunately, this created a whole new set of problems.  If it wasn’t Kye, then who did it?  It wasn’t a coincidence a demon was going around pretending to be Kye to hurt the people I love.  A nefarious motive was behind it, one that was probably just as bad as everything else coming after me.